Humble

How to spell humble

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce humble

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does humble mean?

1. adjectiveModest about one's own importance, achievements, or status; not proud.
2. verbTo lower someone in dignity or pride, or to make them feel less important.

Humble in a sentence

• adjective

  Despite winning the award, she remained humble about her work.

• verb

  The defeat would humble even the most confident team.

• adjective

  He grew up in a humble cottage on the edge of the village.

• verb

  Such generosity from strangers can humble anyone.

Where does humble come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin humilis, meaning 'low' or 'lowly', which was itself built on humus, the Latin word for 'ground' or 'earth'. The underlying image is vivid: something humble keeps close to the soil rather than reaching up proudly. English took the word in the 1200s through Old French, where it appeared as 'humble' with the same modest sense it carries today. The same earthy root survives in the words 'humus' (the rich dark layer of decayed matter in soil) and 'exhume' (literally to take out of the ground). The silent b crept in to mirror the Latin spelling, even though English speakers never sound it, and that quiet letter is exactly the trap that catches careful writers.

How the word is built

• humb- (from Latin humilis: low, lowly, from humus: ground/earth)
• -le (adjective ending in English)